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New Thales helicopter simulator receives highest-level certification

Thales's new AW139 helicopter full flight simulator at Brisbane airport has just received Level D certification from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) - the first helicopter simulator to achieve this recognition in Australia.

Level D is the highest level available under CASA regulations.

The most advanced simulator of its type in the region, the Reality H Full Flight Simulator is located at the Thales LifeFlight Training Centre, which was formally opened earlier this week by the Honourable Yvette D’Ath MP, Queensland Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for Training and Skills.

Having achieved this milestone, the simulator can now be used to train pilots on the AW139 platform, which is widely used among a variety of search and rescue and commercial organisations.

The world-leading simulator represents a multi-million dollar investment by Thales, and features the unique Hexaline all-electric motion system, which provides the most realistic motion cues to trainees while requiring less power. It also features an extended visual field of view, the globally-recognised ThalesView® Image Generation System, as well as Computer Generated Entities for the intelligent management of the virtual animations – all combining to simulate complex search and rescue and medical emergency scenarios.

The simulator therefore represents a completely immersive environment for training in the most challenging conditions, and has also been approved for training with Night Vision Goggles.

With these innovative technologies, the Thales Reality H FFS provides a training environment that mimics real operational conditions to support helicopter operators’ key priorities of safety and mission success.

The simulator is already attracting strong interest from AW139 operators both locally and overseas, and over the next few years will contribute to Australian exports in the service sector.

The full flight simulator forms part of a larger expansion of training facilities in Brisbane, undertaken by Aviation Australia and the Brisbane Airport Corporation